


As Natural As Breathing

by StarSongVII



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bottom Kuroo Tetsurou, Can You Tell I'm A Huge Kuroo Fan?, Canon Compliant, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Getting Together, Growing Up Together, M/M, POV Bokuto Koutarou, POV Kuroo Tetsurou, Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27685051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSongVII/pseuds/StarSongVII
Summary: Bokuto's and Kuroo's story, as canon-compliant as possible, from first meetings, through the manga, and beyond.Chapter 1: Kuroo POVChapter 2: Bokuto POV
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Others (Hinted), Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 15
Kudos: 73
Collections: Bokuroo Fics





	1. Like The Air In My Lungs

**A/N** : Readers of my other fic might skewer me for this - I should be updating that instead after so many months of silence - but I recently got back into Haikyuu!!, and moved from a BokuAka & KuroTsuki ship to BoKuroo. This damn fic idea wouldn't let me sleep all night so here it is. While I have done my best to be canon-compliant, I obviously take some liberties as well. Hope y'all enjoy.

##

It started so easily, just like everything between them. 

They met at a training camp in middle school, Kuroo walking in (without Kenma, who’d gone to a video game convention) and telling himself he’d be fine, that he probably knew some of the other boys already, he was older now and he’d gotten over that painful shyness that had afflicted him as a child, he was in _middle school now_ and he was gonna be captain eventually, and then…

“Hey hey hey!!!”

All of a sudden there was a boy in front of him, brilliant golden eyes fixed on his and a megawatt grin on his (still slightly chubby) face.

_What…?_

The other boy - slightly taller than him, Kuroo noted, miffed, - grinned even wider and held out his hand.

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou, and I’m gonna be the best volleyball player in Japan!”

Kuroo blinked, taking the hand instinctively, because his grandparents had drilled good manners into him. The other boy - Bokuto - had a hell of a grip, but he was competitive so he squeezed back and watched as golden eyes widened even more.

“Kuroo Tetsurou.”

Bokuto pumped his hand enthusiastically - Kuroo was sure this boy did _everything_ enthusiastically - then suddenly he was yanked forward, Kuroo stumbled slightly, before he was being dragged off by this extremely excitable owl lookalike to meet some of the other kids.

How had he never met Bokuto Koutarou before?

##

He forgot what life was like before Bokuto, in all his rowdy, indomitable brilliance, had barged in all loud and boisterous and blinding white grin and shining golden eyes.

They’d been inseparable at camp, the owl boy insisting on sleeping next to each other and bathing together and eating together, and exchanged numbers before leaving. Since then Bokuto and him had been messaging regularly, the excitable teen wanting to share everything and anything that came into his white-haired head.

Perceptive as ever, Kuroo had noticed some of the others in camp making faces whenever Bokuto was being Bokuto. And sometimes the other teen noticed and drooped a little, until Kuroo decided he would distract his new friend whenever it happened. It helped that he and Bokuto got along like a house on fire, though the dark haired boy’s natural perceptiveness and well-honed charm meant that none of the other boys made faces around him.

Still, sometimes Kuroo intentionally ruffled feathers just to get revenge for his new friend. 

It wasn’t Bokuto’s fault he was like this, and it wasn’t even a bad thing. He was just good natured, naturally happy and cheerful, wanting to do his best in a game he loved and share that joy with everyone else.

So every time Bokuto messaged, Kuroo replied - sometimes not immediately (he had classes and he was a model student, thanks very much), but he never failed to humor the other, or tease him about silly things like that time Bokuto hadn’t watched where he was going while chasing after a volleyball and run smack into a wall.

Their homes weren’t too far apart - a 20 minute train ride each way - which meant that whenever Kenma managed to escape Kuroo, he’d simply head over to Bokuto’s and they’d play volleyball in the other boy’s expansive backyard. Sometimes his friend’s older sisters would come and cheer, though mostly they left the two of them alone with a smile.

Kuroo wondered if it was because he was the first person to willingly come over on a regular basis, to hang out with their baby brother.

##

They didn’t get a chance to meet on the court in official matches while in middle school, so when they graduated - Kuroo going to Nekoma where Coach Nekomata used to teach, Bokuto going to Fukurōdani just as everyone in his family had - they promised to do their best and face off on the National stage.

Kuroo hadn’t expected to run into Yaku - the short, arrogant SOB who had shitty taste in _everything_ \- nor had he expected a powerhouse school like Nekoma to have such awful senior team members, with their low expectations and unfounded arrogance.

What was the point of that arrogance if they didn’t have the skills or heart to back it up?

He kept his opinions to himself, only sharing them privately with Bokuto whenever they met up for their regular dinners or weekend hangouts. No way was Kuroo telling Kenma any of this, when he was hard at work coaxing his childhood friend to continue playing volleyball in high school (yes, Kenma had a year more to go but it didn’t hurt to lay the ground work now). 

On his end, Bokuto too was frustrated often. While he had lost the baby fat, filled out a lot more, and grown taller (though Kuroo’s growth spurt meant he was now an inch taller than the other, _thank you very much_ ), his own seniors weren’t too keen on his overzealous behavior, and he spent more time on the bench or in the stands than on the court.

_“Don’t worry, Bo. Someday the team will be filled with people who support you.”_

Kuroo kept telling the other that, every time those spikes drooped in dejection. He was used to the mood swings, he’d never found them annoying in his life, and he always knew how to cheer the other boy up when he was down. 

He was also, it seems, the only person in the world who could actually get Bokuto to study. The white-haired boy’s family had seized on this fact eagerly, and Bokuto’s parents had officially visited Kuroo’s family in middle school with gifts, thanking his father and grandparents for raising such an excellent young boy - his grandmother had lifted an eyebrow and smirked their trademark smirk before smothering it and mouthing niceties (who else had trained Kuroo to be who he is?) - and swearing that Kuroo was always welcome at their home, for meals, to hang out, or even to stay over.

Kenma looked relieved until Kuroo reminded him that there were seven days in a week, and he would simply alternate between hanging out with both of them (since Kenma often ran away from Bokuto, which was only normal since his younger friend didn’t do well with people in general, and loud people specifically).

It was during one of their many sleepovers, lying in Bokuto’s huge bed laughing about something or other - because every time they got together it was a _hoot_ , as Bokuto loved to say - that they shared their first kiss. It was natural, like breathing, like being friends, like every time they chatted or played volleyball with each other, and Kuroo can’t remember all the details despite an almost photographic memory but he does recall it being warm and sweet and the best thing to ever happen to him.

##

Nothing changes in their relationship. They hang out after school and on weekends, go to training camps together - they mostly end up doing the cleaning and standing by the sidelines, Bokuto’s restless energy and growing frustration clear for all to see while Kuroo tries his best to calm his friend down - and watch volleyball matches together, sometimes Kuroo manages to drag Kenma along, sometimes it’s just the two of them sitting on Bokuto’s bed and maybe they might get a bit touchy and there might be kisses now and then, but otherwise nothing changes, not even when they first meet Iwaizumi and Oikawa at a random volleyball clinic they happened to sign up for just because it was being run by a famous former Olympian, and see how _very_ close those two from Seijoh are.

They all exchange numbers - the northerners mostly bitching about Ushiwaka - and yes, Kuroo admits the other boy does have an insane arm on him but he's also quick to assure Bokuto that he's an amazing spiker too.

(Secretly though, Kuroo starts to research blocking and receiving left-handed spikes. He doesn't tell anyone that his hands itch whenever he watches Shiratorizawa play, or that he starts training harder than ever on his receives and blocks).

In their second year, Kuroo is ecstatic to have his childhood friend join Nekoma and the club. He is also glad - truly - when Bokuto calls and excitedly tells him that he has a new setter, a junior, who seems to be fine with his boisterous nature. Kuroo might feel a little twinge of _something_ when he realizes how beautiful Akaashi Keiji is, but that twinge vanishes like dust in the wind when Bokuto turns his megawatt smile on Kuroo and then drags him off to his home - _it's sleepover day!_ \- shouting a cheerful goodbye at the gorgeous setter who barely blinks before a quick, knowing look crosses his face and thin lips tilt, amused, at Kuroo.

He can't even remember if he had a twinge of anything, really, not when Bokuto starts kissing him and they progress to making out, Kuroo's laughing attempts at reminding the other that they're supposed to be studying muffled by the broader boy's soft lips, until finally Kuroo is trying his best to keep his mouth shut because honestly when had Bokuto gotten so good at this? Wasn't it both their first times?

Later on, tangled in blankets and each other, Kuroo laughs uproariously (yet no one in the Bokuto household comes to check because this is totally normal for the two of them) as Bokuto recounts how he'd checked out _yaoi_ and _doujinshis_ and then Googled as much as he could about gay sex, about how his sisters had grilled him when they'd found his search history - _bro, you didn't clear your history or cache?!_ \- how they'd just looked at each other and shrugged when the white-haired boy had said Kuroo's name.

Maybe the taller of the two should feel shy, embarrassed even, about them somehow being found out by Bokuto's sisters even before they'd actually gone all the way. But that adorable face was smiling sweetly and shyly at him, and while yes, it was _terribly_ embarrassing and Bo was an _idiot_ for not knowing how to hide his tracks, he was still...

_My idiot._

Well, at least Bokuto had had the sense not to call IwaOi (as the two of them secretly called that wonderfully mismatched couple) and ask. Kuroo would never live it down. He'd already been teased mercilessly by Oikawa for asking Iwaizumi for tips on receiving and blocking left handers.

Still nothing changed, outwardly. School, volleyball, training camps, studying at home, watching movies, playing video games, chatting with other players around the country - because every time there was a camp or clinic somehow they ended up making more friends - and occasionally taking vacations with their families.

It wasn't that Kuroo wanted the sappy, overly romantic stuff in public - _OK maybe once in a while would be nice, but this was totally fine!_ \- he was also uncomfortable with too much attention. Bokuto was the showboat between them, yet the other had grown mentally and emotionally even as he'd filled out physically, gotten bulkier and more muscular. Bokuto knew that Kuroo didn't want to draw too much notice, that the lankier of the two was biding his time and not revealing much about himself or his abilities until he became a third year, so the louder boy astutely continued their bromance publicly, keeping the romance for when they were alone together.

When Kuroo first realized that Bokuto was intentionally holding himself back in public to make the dark haired teen feel comfortable, he'd jumped him and they'd ended up not getting any studying done (again).

After that they decided to move their studying to the living room, because it was too easy to get caught up in each other when in Bokuto's bedroom.

Kenma barely even blinked when Kuroo stutteringly told his childhood friend about it one day while they were in Kenma's room, and the taller teen had been flipping aimlessly through a volleyball magazine.

_"About time."_

That was all his shorter friend said, never once taking his eyes off his game, but stunned as he was Kuroo could see the small, happy smile playing on the setter's lips. He'd glomped him immediately, toppling them both off the bed and causing Kenma to get killed by whatever monster boss he was fighting, and then Kuroo was being smacked with pillows, but he couldn't stop laughing even as he yowled for mercy.

##

When Kuroo was announced as captain, Kenma took a picture of his face and sent it to Bokuto, who promptly made it his wallpaper.

Come spring, Akaashi apparently had to explain to every first year on Day One of club activities that Bokuto and Kuroo were rival captains, who also happened to be best friends since middle school, and their bromance was as much a part of high school volleyball as was the fact that they needed a volleyball to play the game.

(IwaOi still presented them with lube and some sex toys while smirking maniacally, when the two made the trip to Tokyo with their families during Golden Week).

(Kuroo would never tell those northern hillbillies that he and Bokuto used up all the lube and batteries before the end of Golden Week. Though he supposed they figured it out given how much he winced sitting down or standing up, and how he kept rubbing his back when they played 2-on-2, and how ~~Bokuto~~ Kou kept plastering heat packs on Kuroo's lower back despite the tallest of them complaining incessantly about the heat).

None of the other captains - all friends of theirs - even batted an eyelash anymore. Years of facing off against Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou, dealing with their many shenanigans at training camps, had numbed them to the duo's antics.

Somehow Akaashi still tried to keep them out of trouble, even though Kenma kept telling the angelic looking setter it was a lost cause. (The raven-haired beauty didn't need to know that sometimes Kuroo intentionally came up with stupid-ass plans just to see that frustrated expression on the usually cool setter's face).

It was easy being with Kou, wreaking havoc or playing volleyball or just hanging out breathing in each other's air; easy being best friends and best bro's and a couple (inedible Valentine's Day chocolates and all). There was never any possessiveness, never any jealousy - Kuroo had long forgotten about a certain twinge - they were independent people doing their own thing, wrapped around each other without clinging.

Was Kuroo getting a bit too romantic? He didn't think so.

Kuroo had expected an uneventful trip up north, disappointed that Seijoh wasn't on the schedule but promising to catch up with IwaOi anyway (he had to, Kou had bugged him incessantly to take some poorly wrapped gift with him and _Lord help him_ but he was genuinely curious as to what was inside the bulky, heavy package).

He yelled at Oikawa for not telling him about the freak duo from Karasuno, despite Kuroo's repeated mentions of the _infamous_ Garbage Dump rivalry. The beautiful brunette laughed and smirked and snarked, while his - _ridiculously buff_ \- boyfriend just continued eating.

Then it was Kuroo's turn to laugh at the gift Kou had gotten for the couple, essentially a large, obnoxiously multicolored jar with Ushiwaka's face plastered all over, for Oikawa to put in 100 yen every time he talked about how much he hated the other boy.

Iwaizumi laughed so hard he snorted, then the spiky haired ace stole Oikawa's wallet and started emptying it into the jar because the setter wouldn't stop ranting about Ushiwaka and how much he hated his stupid face.

##

The whole journey back on the shinkansen, Kuroo told all the other Kanto captains he was friends with about how Karasuno wasn't a bunch of flightless crows anymore. That piqued interest - Kuroo was known for being highly perceptive and objective, and his opinion carried weight as a 'Defensive Guardian' / 'Scheming Captain' / 'That Pain-In-The-Ass' - so very soon everyone was bugging Kuroo to get Karasuno invited to their next training camp.

When the freak duo didn't get off the bus with everyone else at Nekoma, Kuroo was disappointed but shrugged it off, leaving it to his team to explain to the others when the questions invariably came up. He knew he wouldn't suffer any loss of social standing, he was close enough with the others to get away with worse (and he had), but he still really hoped the idiotic freshmen would make it.

Eventually they did - _barging in like some sort of heroic duo in a shonen anime_ \- and it was _glorious_. For the second time in his life, Kuroo got to see Nekomata perk up in interest - it was subtle, since it was the old man - but that reminded him of his resolve to ensure the Battle of the Garbage Dump happened. Luckily Sawamura agreed with him, though they both knew Karasuno still needed a lot of work - specifically a certain prickly blond whose talent was easily recognizable to everyone but Glasses.

Alright, maybe all the first years needed a lot of work. And the second years. And third years. But Kuroo could see the hunger in their eyes, the iron will that Sawamura's fatherly, stoic facade did nothing to hide.

Kuroo and Kou start being a bit more open in front of their setters, when it's just the four of them having fast food or watching movies or playing video games. No one seems to care, and when they get caught by Kuroo's grandparents, by Kou's parents, no one even blinks, just continuing on like the two volleyball maniacs being in a relationship is as natural as breathing.

Which makes it a little harder to get Kou to focus on studying instead of kissing, even in the living room, but Kuroo manages somehow. After all these years, he knows Kou better than anyone, knows exactly how to push his boyfriend's - yes, _boyfriend's_ \- buttons to get whatever he wants. He also knows Kou would hack off his right arm - his spiking arm - for him in a heartbeat, so maybe Kou is just happy to give in to Kuroo the way Kuroo is happy to give in to Kou. They were wrapped around each other's little fingers, after all.

(On a side note: Kou has gotten _very_ good with his fingers. Kuroo hopes it wasn't thanks to the white-haired boy asking Iwaizumi for tips or anything).

Their next training camp - courtesy of one Bokuto Koutarou and his ridiculously wealthy family that owned Fukurōdani and a shit ton of other Very Important Places (Kuroo remembers the day he found out he'd spit his milkshake all over Kou in Mos Burger - _that_ explained the fancy home, the nice cars, the expensive vacations and the fact that Kou's family just shrugged whenever he broke anything) - Karasuno seems on edge and a complete mess. But Kuroo can see through it, knows it's just growing pains, and he's looking forward to when they work out the kinks.

In the meantime, he decides to help that stubborn blond kid out, manipulating the freshman into walking into the Third Gym. He gets teased mercilessly for triggering the other middle blocker somehow, but hey Kuroo isn't a mind reader, look at his random BitCoin investments despite all his grandfather's training (his grandfather had been a major trader back in his heyday, even though they lived modestly in the suburbs because the Kuroo family wasn't the flashy sort - _unlike Bokuto's_ \- and Kuroo had always had a good eye for spotting up-and-coming stocks, assets, and volleyball players. His grandfather had taught him the fundamentals, given him a starting sum as a thirteenth birthday gift, and Kuroo had slowly amassed a small fortune since then. Maybe he should just sell off his damn BitCoins).

He was trying to get Kenma into stock trading too, since his childhood friend was brilliant at reading trends and finding opportunities.

Well, one thing at a time. They were in Saitama for training camp, so train they all would.

Kuroo apologizes to Daichi the next day, learning that Tsukki has an older brother and not quite knowing what to do with that information. He files it away for reference anyway, might come in handy eventually.

Later - he's quite certain he heard Freckles screaming Tsukki's name loudly, but surely that meek kid wouldn't do that? - they're all surprised to see the tall blond turn up at the Third Gym asking them why they put so much effort into all this. Kuroo wants to jump Kou when he gets all cool, but he holds back and smirks from behind his super hot boyfriend before joining him in dragging Tsukki on to the court.

He and Kou get up to their usual antics in public, Kou stealing all his meat at the barbecue - _that fatty_ \- and then three of them ganging up on Tsukki playfully. It's getting harder and harder to refer to Kou as Bokuto in public, but Kuroo has excellent control of himself. There's a reason why he still won't let Kou call him "Tetsu" or any term of endearment after all, because his (insanely sexy) owl can't quite contain his excitement at times.

##

It's back to school again, and suddenly Kuroo is thinking hard about his future when Kou - _of all people, KOU_ \- brings up the topic. It's the Fukurōdani's captain's birthday, and they're lazing in bed after dinner with their families. The broad shouldered wing spiker is dead set on going pro - _tell me something I don't know, Kou_ \- but he wants to know Kuroo's plans too. He wonders why, when Kou knows Kuroo would follow him anywhere.

_"Because we're a team."_

They were independent individuals, wrapped around each other without clinging.

He doesn't have an answer right away. He loves volleyball - it'd been the reason he'd gotten out of his shell as a kid, the reason he'd met Coach Nekomata and Kou and so many amazing friends - but he's self-aware enough to know he lacks the hunger for winning that Kou has, that Oikawa has, that the Freak Duo have.

It's not that he doesn't like winning. He enjoys the challenge of shutting down opponents, of triumphing, of playing games and pressuring people across the net, of seeing the joy on his teammates' faces whenever Nekoma overcomes other teams. He wants to make sure the Battle of the Garbage Dump happens, because he _owes_ Coach Nekomata so much, he wants to face off against Kou on a national stage and stuff his amazing boyfriend's spikes and smirk at him and know there will be hell to pay later when they're alone (but maybe he likes it too).

But he also knows it'd be disrespectful to this beautiful game, this sport that had given him so much, for him to try going pro. He's an all-rounder with innate game sense and impeccable timing, a feared blocker with a pretty awesome jump serve he's working on secretly (to surprise Kou at qualifications), but he knows he isn't pro level and never will be, no matter how much work he puts in.

He loves volleyball, so he's always figured he'd still play in some capacity or other. He just hadn't really formed anything in his mind, and for once their roles are reversed - Kuroo is usually the one with everything planned out, Kou just does as he feels like at any given moment - but honestly this shouldn't surprise him.

_“I’m Bokuto Koutarou, and I’m gonna be the best volleyball player in Japan!”_

Kou was nothing if not a man of his word, even as a baby-faced middle school kid in a random training camp.

Kuroo knows he's smart - he's always among the top of his grade - and he's on track for Tokyo University. While his family is very comfortable (read: wealthy but not flashy like Kou's), he also wants to secure a scholarship somehow, because his grandfather had taught him to always be prudent about funds, and he knows he's smart enough to maintain his grades while playing volleyball for a university team.

But after university, what next? Heck, what should he even study in university?

He adores Chemistry, everyone knew - his weird Chemistry puns are notorious and crack Kou up constantly ( _God, he loves his boyfriend_ ). But maybe he should go into Law school, like his dad? Or Business, like his grandfather?

Not that he needs to study Business to excel at it, but he needs to figure out his career path somehow.

He tells Kou he'll think about it, that the wing spiker will be the first to know once he's figured it out, then those thick, calloused fingers are making him forget his own name, and a hot mouth against his neck makes him moan filthy things that make Kou smirk in that insanely sexy way that just _does things_ to Kuroo.

##

Kou is already attracting attention from scouts, always had in passing as a Top 5 ace, but now they're starting to pay more attention as he nears graduation and grows even more into a man. Some of those scouts look Kuroo's way too, when he accompanies Kou to these meetings because his boyfriend can be a bit of an air-head and it's Kuroo's duty as a boyfriend of said air-head to protect him from being taken advantage of, but he always smiles and shakes his head.

He isn't going pro, but that doesn't mean he won't give it his all at the Spring Tournament.

One day he's chatting to Kenma about it absent-mindedly while flipping through university catalogues, the pudding-haired setter focused entirely on a new video game so Kuroo doesn't think he's listening.

He should know better, after all these years. Kenma _always_ pays attention to Kuroo.

"Remember the first camp we went to?"

And that's all it takes. Kuroo glomps and kisses his childhood friend, this time careful not to distract the shorter boy and get his character killed, and Kenma is blushing slightly and grumbling about his _"stupid gay friend"_ but Kuroo can see the happy little smile, knows his friend loves him and cares, and then he's jumping on Kenma's computer to do his research.

He had to find a way to lower the net for everyone.

##

Their last training camp before the Tournament, and Kuroo can see the Battle of the Garbage Dump start to take shape. He's pleased, he wants Coach Nekomata to be happy, and he's also looking forward to facing Karasuno in January given their exponential growth rate.

It helps that Hinata seems to spark something in Kenma, that his short childhood friend seems to have a glow in his eyes lately.

_Volleyball is amazing._

He's figured it out, kinda. He wants to lower the net, wants more people to play sports - ideally volleyball but he won't be snobby ( _even if it's the greatest game in the world_ ) - and he knows he'll have to join some sort of national association or government agency to do so.

Which also means he would most likely need to get a Business degree from Tōdai, to secure a role in such organizations.

He starts studying harder and doing the Tōdai practice exams in between dates with his boyfriend, hanging out with his childhood friend, chatting with other volleyball friends and rivals online and offline, spending time with his family, and training like a maniac. If he nods off sometimes, no one complains - Kenma tells him that Yaku threw Lev out of the gym when Kuroo fell asleep one day in between Saturday morning and afternoon trainings, practice test clutched in sweaty hands as his pencil slipped to the ground (he wondered why he woke up with a bunch of jackets tucked neatly around his shoulders).

Sometimes Kou just insists on cuddling and doing nothing, and Kuroo often wakes up later feeling beautiful, loving warmth wrapped all around him as Kou sleeps soundly behind him.

Kou's parents buy him expensive herbal drinks and supplements, all those things said to be good for mental focus and memory. Kou's sisters buy him silk eye masks and ear plugs, silk travel pillows so he can sleep comfortably anywhere. His grandmother becomes more particular about food she makes him, waking up earlier to get to the market to buy only the freshest fish for her baby boy, and grandfather volunteers to manage his portfolio for now until after the Tōdai entrance exam. His dad contacts old classmates, and they connect him with Business school alumni who warmly share tips and insider information with Kuroo over coffees in cafes full of suits.

Kenma starts to step up a bit more in practices, makes the effort to eat proper meals so that Kuroo can stop fussing over him and _just focus on himself, for once in their lives_.

But he's been voted valedictorian (so he has to get fantastic grades and secure a scholarship to Tōdai to prove he's deserving of it), and he's team captain: it's his duty to train the juniors, research potential opponents, manage all the club admin (they really needed a manager), take care of everyone, inspire them to be their best, _lead them to Nationals_.

Akaashi writes down everything they need to know about Nationals, shares what Fukurōdani's managers have put together on other teams (just for fun, he even sends the dossier on Nekoma all blacked out except for where the Owls have squiggled nicknames and insults and butt-ugly caricatures).

He appreciates it, truly, knowing Akaashi abused his position as Vice Captain to make copies of the dossiers and secretly pass them on to Kenma. But he shouldn't be relying on a rival team like that - even if they _are_ close friends - it's his _duty_ as captain to do all this.

It's Coach Nekomata who tells him one day, privately, as qualifiers loom, that he inspires everyone just by being himself, that he's lowered the net for everyone in the team.

If Kuroo shows up to Kou's with red-rimmed eyes later that evening, the wing spiker doesn't mention it, opening his beefy arms wide and squeezing the life (and snot) out of his overworked, exhausted boyfriend.

##

He wasn't expecting to beat Fukurōdani, that's for sure. He just wanted the thrill of facing Kou in an official match - and while he hoped it wouldn't be their last, he also knew he had to savor every moment now while he was still in Nekoma, still a highly ranked volleyball player, still a captain of a powerhouse school.

Once the Tournament is over, he would just be Kuroo Tetsurou, high school senior trying to get into the best university in the country, like almost everyone his age across the country (and possible a fair few around the world too).

Later, in private, Kou makes a mess out of him for his incredible jump serve that Kou absolutely wants to see more of in Nationals and Kuroo's not sure what he's saying yes to anymore, but he knows that this is the most incredible torment he's ever experienced.

Then it's Kuroo's birthday, and he's chased around the court by Yaku and Kai, almost managing to get away until Kenma trips him and then he's covered in cake from head to toe and everyone's taking pictures and laughing because they qualified for the Spring Tournament and it's the captain's birthday.

He barely manages to clean his hair and ears of cake after practice, taking extra long in the shower and being called a princess, before he walks into his classroom and gets pelted with cake _again_. And OK maybe some people are taking the opportunity to cop a feel, but he's not about to kick up a fuss when everyone is singing and clapping and cheering.

There's even an announcement made over the PA system at lunch time, and the whole school is singing happy birthday to him now and Kuroo really wishes he never has to graduate, that he can remain as captain of the Nekoma volleyball team forever, that they can all just be as happy as they are right now - from Seijoh to Karasuno to Fukurōdani to Nekoma to Shinzen to every single high school where he's made friends around the country.

It's not like him to be stuck like this, but he supposes these have been the best three years of his life - shitty seniors in the club initially notwithstanding - so he just wants to savor it, wants to hold on to it just a little longer.

After club activities Yaku and Kai laughingly shove a gift wrapped present into his arms before he's rushed through his shower and thrown out of the club room, only to see Kou standing right there (someone must have smuggled him in to their school, and Kuroo doesn't really care who it was).

Kou had stayed over last night, and they'd had cake at midnight with the rest of the Kuroo family (Kenma had been there too). But now, they were going for Kuroo's birthday date at last, and he couldn't help it - he jumps onto Kou and wraps what the white-haired male always says are 'obscenely long legs' around the shorter man's waist, laughing heartily and kissing that grinning face with its shining eyes.

No one in the Nekoma Volleyball Club bats a single eyelash, just telling them to have a good date before the door closes and the two of them are smiling like idiots in the autumn evening.

Later, once their breaths have evened out, tangled in sheets and each other as usual, Kou asks if he had a good birthday.

Kuroo means it when he says he's had a _very_ good 18th birthday, courtesy of one very amazing (and sexy) boyfriend, and incredible friends and family.

##

As autumn ends and winter begins, Kuroo and Kou don't date as much, though they still have sleepovers, but Kou has started to study on his own now so that Kuroo can focus on his own revisions and practice exams.

Kuroo wonders how much more he can fall for his broad, beefy, bumbling, brilliant boyfriend.

Kenma tells him that Akaashi flirted with the smartest third years in their school to get notes for Kou, and that the other third years on the team make Kou recite math and science formulae while they run, and historical facts while they lift weights. (Fortunately, Kou's wealthy upbringing meant many trips abroad as a young child, and somehow it turns out everyone in the family has an affinity for languages so English isn't actually an issue for Kou as long as he answers the 'right' way for tests instead of sticking to his extremely casual way of speaking and thinking).

Everyone's trying to reduce the burden on Kuroo, to help him succeed at the Tournament and in his entrance exams, and he's so grateful to volleyball for bringing all this into his life, he _has_ to do the same for everyone else in the country, in the world.

Kuroo still studies hard, and trains hard, but he doesn't take too much on himself anymore. Everyone is trying to help in any way they can - including Iwaizumi who is apparently set on getting into Tōdai for Sports Sciences. Kuroo is surprised but not really - while the wing spiker is his team's ace, it seems that volleyball had just been a natural part of his and Oikawa's lives.

As natural as breathing.

But now, like Kuroo, Iwaizumi has realized that he has to choose his own path, away from his boyfriend, childhood friend, and best friend, Oikawa. Kuroo wondered if the other would be OK - apparently IwaOi had been inseparable since birth.

Then he realizes that if both he and Iwaizumi make it into Tōdai, he already has a friend and potential housemate lined up.

So they have lots of video calls, sharing notes and recommendations for revision books and mock exam papers. Along the way, Iwaizumi shares the sports science tips he's picked up through the years - _looking after Shittykawa is hard work, the buff spiker grumbles affectionately_ \- and Kuroo promises to buy him a meal when he sees him again because these tips are definitely useful for Nekoma.

And OK, after everything Kou and Akaashi and Fukurōdani have done for him, he tells them what Iwaizumi said about recovery and training and nutrition.

##

Their families ring in the new year together, and later Kenma and Akaashi come over to play _karuta_ , once the "silly couple" exhaust themselves playing _hanetsuki_ for a few hours (this is normal, it's just part of the Bokuto-Kuroo New Year tradition).

Kuroo's grandmother and Kou's older sisters sneaking sake to the high school students is also normal, as are all the other adults pretending not to notice.

They only have a few sips each though. The Tournament is starting soon.

##

It's a whirlwind few days, and Kuroo can't find it in himself to cry when Nekoma loses the Battle of the Garbage Dump, eliminated on Day Three, because of a sweaty ball.

_A sweaty ball._

Eventually that's going to become the butt of many jokes ( _geddit, geddit?_ ) but right now, he's not sure how to feel.

He's proud of Karasuno - the former fallen crows - and proud of his protegé Tsukki in particular who's becoming known as the incredible blocker he always has been. He's proud of Fukurōdani - and Kou in particular - every time the powerhouses step on to the court, he can see they're proud of their achievements yet hungry for more.

Every time he looks at Kou, he loses his breath a little at the majestic, incredible player the wing spiker is already and the other hasn't even stopped growing and learning and improving.

When Fukurōdani loses, Kuroo's heart breaks with pride at how strong Kou looks standing there on the court chin up and refusing to cry, the fire burning even fiercer behind golden eyes - _an ace all the way down to his core_ \- and he wants to shout his love from the rafters but he holds back. Today is about the winners of the Spring Tournament, the top three teams that persevered when the rest of them failed.

After Fukurōdani's team dinner - which Nekoma is somehow part of, as naturally as breathing - Kuroo holds Kou's hand on the train ride back to the Bokuto home. It's late, and only a few tipsy and/or tired office workers are on the train, and no one's paying them any mind.

They don't have sex, just cuddles after they've showered and gotten into bed, Kou's family having met them with hugs at the entryway and promises of a great brunch tomorrow.

Then it's just the two of them, breathing in each other and the knowledge that their high school volleyball careers have ended, and that they'd each be going their separate ways soon but they won't ever part.

##

Kuroo can't believe it when he sees his entrance exam result - he's one of the top scorers in the country - and he thinks someone's made a mistake because he hadn't studied as hard as some of the others, he'd trained for the Spring Tournament instead of retiring, but then his name comes out in the papers (together with the others in the top five) and Nekoma has a giant banner waiting for him the next day.

Kou is beside himself with joy, telling everyone - literally _everyone_ \- on the streets that Kuroo is the third highest scorer for the hardest entrance exam in the country, and _really_ he just wishes he could make out with his sweet, cute, supportive, ridiculously sexy boyfriend in the middle of Shibuya Scramble.

##

They’ve never fought before, so they’re not sure how to do it.

Kuroo is deadly, deceptively soft when he finds out Kou has even met Division 2 scouts, eyes like lava as he grips the proposals he’d found in Kou’s bedside table tight and demanding to know why Kou was willing to reduce himself to Division 2 just to be able to stay in Tokyo so they can share a bloody apartment together - _yes, he found the property brochures as well because Kou couldn’t hide anything to save his life_.

Kou is shaking with anger and shouting at the top of his lungs as he throws his phone across the room, Kenma having found Kuroo’s search history for universities in Osaka - later he’ll kick himself for making the _exact same mistake_ as Kou that time - and Kou wants to know why Kuroo would give up a full ride to the best university in the country just to live with him.

No one else knows what to do, as Kou's family stands in the doorway and hallway, worried but helpless - they were supposed to be having a barbecue, not watching their sons (and Kuroo was as much a son of the Bokuto family as Koutarou by now) tear each other apart verbally. Kuroo and Kou have never fought, not once - there’s been lots of playful banter and teasing insults and fond arguments, yes, but never have the two of them ever had a fight. The closest thing to this would be when Kou once pushed a cackling Kuroo to safety, getting knocked over by a distracted delivery rider in the dark haired boy’s stead, and Kuroo had been a wreck because he couldn’t believe Kou would willingly get hurt - possibly never play volleyball again - just for him. 

They’re not supposed to fight like this, to give up their own dreams for each other. They’re independent individuals, who happen to be wrapped around each other. 

But they’ve always lived in the same city just 20 minutes from each other, they’ve always had sleepovers and random meet ups after practice and lots of dates and spontaneous volleyball games and cuddles and study sessions.

It takes them awhile of screaming and crying before they get one of their “synchro moments” and they realize they’re each mad at the other for doing what they've each done.

Then they're laughing and hugging and still crying, but this time the insults are fond, the jibes are sweet. The Bokuto family just shake their heads, Kou's mom sniffles a bit, and head back down to the garden smiling and wondering if all the meat's been burnt to hell now.

Kuroo would eat burnt meat in hell for eternity if he could listen to Kou tell him that he loves him for the rest of his mortal life.

##

Of course they save their second buttons for each other, and of course Kou makes it to Nekoma's gates as Kuroo is rushing out, because somehow Kuroo has been inundated with gifts and confessions from adoring peers and juniors - the volleyball club can't stop roaring with laughter and he wants desperately to spike a ball at Yaku's stupid face if he can find it in the crowd - and somehow Kou managed to run off quickly (Kuroo would later learn that Akaashi and the rest of the team had somehow caused a huge ruckus, and Kuroo would buy Akaashi coffee every day for a month after that as thanks to the setter and new captain for ruining his "good boy" image just for the "silly couple").

Of course their graduation dinner includes Kuroo's family, Kenma's family, Kou's family, and the Nekoma and Fukurōdani volleyball teams. There's even video calls with IwaOi, and somehow Ushiwaka and that redhead best friend of his join in, and Karasuno's volleyball club too. Then other schools join in, and it's fortunate they're all in a restaurant owned by Kou's family that's been closed to the public today, because a giant screen is set up and there are volleyball players from all across the country celebrating the end of an era and new beginnings remotely but together.

Then it's back to reality as Kou packs his bags and prepares to move to Osaka. The Bokuto family have already promised to buy them shinkansen tickets to see each other anytime, and Kuroo's family continues to argue that they should be allowed to pay for the tickets too.

His grandfather doesn't mention that Kuroo has made enough money on his own to be able to afford shikansen tickets every single day and possibly buy a few bullet trains and stations too. Kuroo doesn't like to brag, prefers to blend in and be part of the team, working in the shadows so that people like Kou shine like the sun. (He'd mentioned to Kou once, off-handedly, about his investments, and had received such an amazing blow job from an insanely proud boyfriend that he'd been dazed for a few days and taken a volleyball to the face - Lev had been stuck on cleaning duty solo for a week after that).

Kuroo is moving in with Iwaizumi, as Oikawa prepares for Argentina. Obviously they've all mastered how to swear in Spanish by now.

It's a funny feeling, being at the bottom of the ladder once more. Kuroo is famous enough as a top scorer on the entrance exam, and he and Iwaizumi are welcomed into the volleyball club enthusiastically. Sometimes, when he's really stressed ~~and lonely~~ , he wonders if it's because all the best players went pro already and only the second-rate joined university clubs. (Kou immediately runs out of his room to get to the train station when Kuroo accidentally mentions that one day, and it takes all his powers of persuasion to get his fool of a beloved not to ruin his professional career by skipping practice the next day just for his university student boyfriend).

He's glad he managed to get Kenma to monetize his gaming, with live streams picking up (Kuroo has _amazing_ naming skills, _thanks very much #KodzuKen_ ). He's also successful at convincing Kenma to start trading, and he smirks so much when Kenma does well at it that the other boy hangs up on him.

They start Bouncing Ball Corp for shits and giggles (because they both have money to burn, honestly), though as usual Kuroo takes a step back and lets Kenma front it. His childhood friend is really shining as the new team captain, has the brains to get into Tōdai easily too.

Iwaizumi is a great housemate - responsible, dependable, a great cook, and a dry sense of humor. They also bond over their LDRs, though Iwaizumi is always quick to point out that Kuroo's boyfriend is just a shinkansen ride away while his is half a world away.

Kou sends pictures every day, and video calls every morning and evening, and just generally blows up Kuroo's, no, _Tetsu's_ phone non-stop with updates and how much he misses the dark haired man.

The entire MSBY Black Jackals team and administration don't even bat a single eyelash.

Tetsu navigates university easily, deflecting confessions and flirtations while maintaining his "bad boy" reputation somehow (his friends seem to find his reputation hilarious, but only because they know he's a goof ball who's madly in love with a really buff horned owl). He makes his grades consistently, makes the team and eventually becomes captain again. Weekends are usually spent rushing to and from Osaka, as Kou is now a professional athlete so Tetsu should be the one going without sleep to spend time together. When the season starts and Kou has to travel around the country for games, Tetsu tries to watch each one in person if they're near enough, but resorts to cheering at the big screen TV in their living room the rest of the time. Iwaizumi takes videos of Tetsu's reactions sometimes and sends them to Kou, who in turn sends Iwaizumi so many gift vouchers for barbecue meals that the Sports Science student has to go on a diet for the first time in his life. Still, Tetsu's housemate doesn't stop taking and sending those videos.

In exchange, Tetsu takes random pictures and videos of Iwaizumi at times - in training, at home, at the bar - and sends them to Oikawa, who - being the stingy self-absorbed drama queen he is - sends nothing but more demands. Tetsu is a nice guy so he doesn't stop sending pics, but he does intentionally mess up angles so that he sometimes wakes up to screeching voice messages peppered with Spanish swear words.

When they hear that Hinata has moved to Brazil, there is another drunken group video call as everyone laughs about how unpredictable the orange-haired middle blocker continues to be, and there are many, many loud toasts as they all cheer the inspiring middle blocker on (Iwaizumi and Tetsu get a lot of noise complaints from the neighbors that night).

Kou makes it to his graduation ceremony, claps and cheers louder than anyone else as Tetsu walks across the stage. They celebrate Tetsu being selected to the JVA to lead the Sports Promotion Division - his proposal (attached as part of his application) had been unanimously accepted - and they celebrate Iwaizumi securing the internship he wanted in California.

Tetsu doesn't make it to the Rio Olympics, he's still settling into work, juggling a cross-country travel schedule and a rising star boyfriend who continues to blow up his phone every time they're apart. He catches up with volleyball players he knows - wherever they are in Japan and the world - to watch the games though.

He's fortunate that he knows most of the current pro players in Japan, having played on courts with them or attended camps or been introduced at some point or other. His plans are accepted without question, everyone recognizing that the 'Scheming Captain' still knows what he's doing, even if it's off the court (once in a while he still gets back on the court for friendly games, though he's also the first to admit he's insanely outclassed now by the others. So sue him but he doesn't have the luxury of training for hours every day, usually lifting paperwork instead of weights. He still keeps up his morning runs though, added a weighted vest to the picture since university, and installed a pull up bar in his current apartment filled with Kou's random belongings).

Kou continues to shine, brighter and brighter, as Tetsu hustles across the country implementing programs to lift volleyball's profile in a nation that had previously favored other sports. They need big wins for attention, that he knows, so he asks Hajime when he'll be back - can he complete his internship in time for the next Olympics, especially since it'll be home ground - talks to Kenma about sponsoring more and more players, floats collab ideas to reach a wider audience.

Then Hinata comes back and qualifies for MSBY Black Jackals, and Tetsu rushes to Kamei Arena Sendai in time to catch the chibi after the match. He thanks his lucky stars he's allowed to wear trainers with his suit, makes running from the station that much easier.

He'll let Kenma know about the collab thing later. He's sure his childhood friend won't say no.

It's great to catch up with everyone, so many familiar faces having made it to the game. Tetsu has always been thrilled that Tsukki continued playing volleyball, making Division 2 despite being a full-time university student. The dark-haired man had received offers while in university, of course, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to give it his all - he lacked the hunger for victory they all did, he wanted something else and it wasn't trophies or medals.

They all grab gyu-tan, somehow managing to fit what seems like a hundred huge burly men (and Yachi and Shimizu and that feisty sister of the equally feisty Tanaka) into the restaurant. There's laughter and teasing and reminiscing, Chibi is the first to get drunk (of course) and they take a thousand pictures of him with scribbles across his face (because Tetsu always carries a Sharpie - _it's part of his job!_ ), and then Kou is dragging Tetsu back to his hotel room.

Somehow it always feels like the first time when they're together, magical and loving and so full of wonder that Tetsu is becoming a complete and utter rom-com sap.

He does do the whole rom-com routine though when Kou pulls out a beautiful ring, all gold and black diamond and sparkling red rubies and engraved inside with their names: Bokuto-Kuroo.

(When he learns from Tsum-Tsum the next day that Kou had been carrying that ring around for awhile, he does the rom-com thing again).

This time there are many eyelashes being batted as everyone fights off tears, calling congratulations and threatening never to speak to either of them again if they aren't invited to the wedding. Yachi is already designing invitations (which no one knows how she does through her tears, Tsukki and Yamaguchi holding her sketchpad steady even as Tetsu's protegé smiles so hard no one knows how he can see and everyone pretends not to notice the tears leaking down his cheeks), and Kou is more radiant than Tetsu has ever seen him. Somehow they wake Oikawa and Hajime up, and despite the time difference those two immediately start a betting pool about whether Tetsu will wear a dress.

Ushiwaka has even gotten through to Tendou, who insists on being the only chocolatier for the wedding and directs 'his cannon' to blast any objections away. Maybe it's because everyone's too busy crying but no one bats an eyelash at the term used.

Then it's back to the grind - Kenma has insisted on footing the entire bill, but he's overruled by the Bokuto and Kuroo families who can't stop screaming about not being there for the 'big moment' and who insist on paying for everyone's airfare and accommodation to the 'destination wedding' (somehow it's been decided it'll be overseas, but no one can agree on where exactly).

Tetsu just laughs and gets back to lowering the net. He has a huge family, so many people who love him and Kou and who'd do anything for them, so he's not worried about the wedding planning (he _is_ a little worried someone might make him wear a dress, as he still has a reputation for being a 'bad boy' somehow and he kinda likes it, so he'd very much prefer a tailored suit that shows off his still-impressive physique).

His plans are working, with more and more of Japan's youth flocking to volleyball - the JVA has reported exponential year-on-year increases in the number of volleyball players nationwide since Tetsu joined their ranks - and more and more fans filling stadiums for all League games. When he walks through Tokyo now, he sees more school children running past with volleyballs in their arms, hears more housewives chatting about their favorite League players when he goes to buy mackerel.

They get married on a beach in Rio the next year, Oikawa pissed as hell that Argentina wasn't the final choice, but then the wedding party devolves into many drunk rounds of beach volleyball and no one is complaining about anything but how tired they are and where they've gotten sand in at the end of it, laughing and stumbling and breaking every rule of volleyball and beach volleyball.

Tetsu is glad he was allowed to wear a suit in the end, despite overwhelming opposition from all his traitorous friends, but the looks on their faces when he walked onto the beach told him they were glad he'd gotten his way in the end, in a tailored three-piece that clung to his lean body and seemed to shimmer in the golden sunset. (A lot of people now owed Tetsu money, because Kenma and Keiji had been sobbing openly throughout the entire ceremony). Kou hadn't stopped crying since Tetsu appeared, not through the toasts, the first dance, the volleyball games; not even when he carried Tetsu bridal style back to their suite, not even as he laid him gently in bed - _they were getting sand everywhere, they'd be sure to leave a big tip, they were JUST MARRIED_ \- and they made love for the first time as Mr. & Mr. Bokuto Koutarou.

##

The Olympic Committee reported that the announcement of the Japanese national volleyball teams was the most watched among all the teams representing the Land of the Rising Sun, and Tetsu got a massive raise as well as a larger team to do his bidding.

Hajime makes it back in time, as promised, to be trainer for the team. Tetsu drops in from time to time but he's usually chased out by his spiky haired former housemate because his husband gets a bit too distracted when he's around, and Tetsu always laughs that laugh everyone says reminds them of a hyena when he hears this.

COVID derails their plans, derails everyone's plans, and Tetsu worries for all those losing their lives and livelihood. He marshals together every professional volleyball player in Japan and raises record-breaking funds (OK, so he sells off a lot of his cryptocurrency too, but no one needs to know that), finds ways to distribute them discreetly to those in need but who're too afraid of stigma to ask for help. For his efforts, the government wants to give him the Order of the Rising Sun, but he demurs, until every single volleyball player he knows has blown up his phone and he shamefacedly calls whoever it is back to say he's changed his mind and _is the offer still on the table?_

Kou is running through the streets screaming through his mask, and Tetsu ends up running after him while trying to listen to instructions on the phone.

He manages to get volleyball to everyone, somehow, via collaboration with Kenma and broadcast networks, and Kou doing shirtless demos in the backyard of his childhood home (Tetsu is pretty sure it's the latter that gets everyone's attention). Then Tetsu is roped in to help and teased into taking his own shirt off, and suddenly he has to post pictures of his wedding ring because he's getting _way_ too many people sliding into his DM's. Then he's getting _way_ too many questions about who he's married to, and they send Oikawa and Hajime so many gifts for making their engagement public. 

When vaccines roll out, and the Olympics starts, he's there in the crowd watching as Team Japan work their way up through the ranks, knowing that even though all anyone sees is the now, what's right here, the power and stamina and skills on display to millions, he's been fortunate enough to be part of their stories - their growth as players, as people. He's gotten the chance to go to training camps with them, play matches with them. They challenged him, they supported him, they were at his wedding crying and throwing confetti and drunkenly trying to play beach volleyball in fancy suits. He's been part of their lives just as they've been part of his, and he has volleyball to thank for so much of it.

He's fortunate to have gone to that one training camp alone, so many years ago, and approached by the love of his life while hesitating in the doorway.

After the closing ceremony, he approaches Kou and holds out his hand.

"Hey, you must be Bokuto Koutarou, the best volleyball player in Japan."

It was as natural as breathing.

##

**A/N:** According to the Haikyuu timeline, most of the series takes place in 2012 / early 2013 before the time skips. BitCoin first begins to take off in 2013 when it starts the year at $13.50 each, before going through major rallies and crashes.


	2. The Other Side Of The Net

A/N: So this part also wouldn't get out of my head. Bokuto's POV of everything, and yes, I end up taking some liberties towards the end. Enjoy!

##

The first time they meet IwaOi, Bokuto senses that what they have is what he wants.

That comfort, that ease, that intimacy; that familiarity and openness, not caring about anyone but each other; the knowledge that they will spend the rest of their lives together, come what may.

He wants that. And he wants it with Kuroo.

He gives himself a maximum of ten years, with a stretch goal of eight to propose to one Kuroo Tetsurou.

Bokuto Koutarou is always a man of his word.

##

Bokuto isn't an idiot, though he knows he acts a fool often.

He wonders, sometimes, how he managed to get the Greek God that is Kuroo Tetsurou in his life - _and in his bed_ \- but he isn’t about to question Provenance and Fate.

So when Kuroo laughs that insane laugh of his after their first time that Bokuto had worked really hard preparing for, all golden skin and languid eyes in the white-haired boy's massive bed, Bokuto has a hard time remembering anything but the fact that he loves the Nekoma volleyball player with all his mind, body and soul.

It started so naturally, just like anything else between them.

From first meetings to first kisses to this, there was never any doubt in Bokuto's mind that Kuroo Tetsurou was meant for him, for life, from the moment he spotted him wavering in the doorway of a random training camp in middle school.

It helps that Akaashi knows already, has from the moment the beautiful setter met Kuroo. It helps when their families don't even blink, when Kuroo's childhood friend voices his support (though there was no way Kenma would ever reject Kuroo, it was obvious to everyone how much the smaller boy adored his childhood friend).

It helps when all the volleyball players they're friends with just continue on like Bokuto told them the sun rises in the east.

He wants to make this messy-haired, hazel-eyed, smart-as-hell, and sex-on-legs boyfriend of his smile like the radiant creature he is for the rest of his life.

He wants to be the one to hold him tight and chase all the demons away. And he knows his boyfriend has plenty of demons, that painful shyness that afflicted him as a child (Kenma had told him once) still rearing its head now and then (though Kuroo has learned to mask it well behind that sexy smirk and snide remarks and lots of silly Chemistry jokes).

Why would anyone so perfect, so divine, ever feel shy or insecure?

Bokuto won't question it. Kuroo is his to love for eternity, and he'll die trying to make his beloved happy.

##

Bokuto knows that Kuroo is all about helping others. That what truly drives his boyfriend is the concept of lowering the net for everyone, making volleyball fun for everyone. He adores him for it, truly, and thinks it's as remarkably unselfish as all of Kuroo.

So he plays along to assist Tsukki, and Hinata, and anyone else the raven-haired sun-kissed Adonis takes under his wing. Except pretty soon he's caught up in his own excitement and genuinely wanting to help just to get stronger opponents. When Kuroo smiles at him after each training camp, it takes everything Bokuto has not to jump his boyfriend.

They have mad sex anyway, as they do every time, Bokuto smirking as Kuroo moans breathlessly and begs incoherently for something, _anything_ to stop the delicious torment.

He needs to thank his older sisters and the team managers for all those _yaoi_ manga and _doujinshis_ they'd gotten him.

He likes this, seeing the usually calm, cool, collected, confident Nekoma captain becoming a writhing, mindless mess in his bed. He loves breaking Kuroo down until the taller boy is crying in need.

He wants to make him beg some more, and he does.

Kuroo is addicted to Bokuto - his scent, his face, his voice, his body, his fingers, his cock - and the wing spiker wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe it was unfair, since he was the Nekoma student's first and only, but who cared about fair play when it came to capturing Kuroo Tetsurou?

_Mine_.

##

He notices the exhaustion creeping in. The way Kuroo's shoulders droop and the taller of the two blinks blearily sometimes to try to process words.

He notices the way the other looks frustrated when the lanky Nekoma student thinks no one is looking, clutching his practice exams tight, full lips in a thin, vicious line, as Kuroo tries to figure out where he went wrong in another mock exam. He knows it's harder on Kuroo because the taller boy is really smart and has an almost perfect memory, so any mistakes in exams affect him more than they would other people, chip away at his hard-earned confidence and sense of self-worth as valedictorian and team captain and an all-round amazing volleyball player.

He wishes he was more academically inclined, but he isn't. He can't help Kuroo study, but he can help by easing his beloved cat's burden.

So he gets Akaashi to help, his family to help, the whole volleyball team to help. He contacts Iwaizumi and asks the other wing spiker to reach out to Kuroo, because Bokuto has always sensed that the Seijoh ace was insanely capable. When Kuroo excitedly tells him that Iwaizumi plans to go to Tōdai too, Bokuto is thrilled that this time Kuroo will be going to a new place with a friend because he knows that Kuroo still gets uncomfortable going anywhere new by himself.

And then he tries his best to just hug his boyfriend tight, works out even more so he can carry all 75.3kg of him carefully up to his bedroom and tuck him into bed without making the middle blocker stir.

One day Kuroo turns up on his doorstep with red-rimmed eyes and a happy, if tired, smile. Bokuto doesn't ask. He just loves him anyway, because it's the most natural thing in the world to do.

##

Bokuto has always had a one-track mind. It's what makes him such a strong volleyball player (he knows he has mood swings but hey he's still a teenager, hormonal and all), what makes him an ace.

It's also what makes him the perfect boyfriend for Kuroo Tetsurou, in his opinion, because the other boy is too smart for his own good sometimes and overthinks everything. The only time Kuroo doesn't overthink is on the court - leaving the strategy to Kenma, and just focusing on having fun pressuring opponents, stuffing spikes, and saving difficult balls.

_Volleyball is amazing._

Bokuto loves Kuroo, so he's grateful to the best sport in the world for making his boyfriend so happy, for bringing so many people into the dark haired boy's life and for being the reason they met in the first place.

He works hard to show the Gods of Volleyball how appreciative he is, he trains like a mad man to honor the greatest game in the world, the game that makes the love of his life smile so brightly and shine like a star.

Bokuto can't help it. He's an ace, and the captain - so he makes an Entrance: flinging his jacket behind him powerfully like he's letting his wings burst forth. He doesn't need to look to know Akaashi caught it perfectly, all he can see is Kuroo, standing with his team, that glint in the dark haired boy's eyes telling Bokuto that Kuroo is going to make his life on the court absolute hell and that he'll have fun doing it.

When they line up to play, Kuroo is as cool and composed as ever - radiating determination and confidence like this is _his_ court to rule and Bokuto is just an intruder who's blocking his path en route to the infamous Battle of the Garbage Dump. He can't help smirking at that: he's one of the top aces in the country, he's gonna be the greatest player in Japan.

He's gonna be king of the court someday.

Akaashi knows today is different, that it's special, which is why the setter says there's no need to resort to the usual silly tactics that the team usually does to cheer him up. It's not that he cares about pretty girls looking at him - it's just an ego boost, and all in good fun honestly. But right now, he doesn't care even if the entire line up of Victoria's Secret Angels waltzed in wearing lingerie in front of him.

His boyfriend is on the other side of the net. They're facing off as they promised long ago: captain to captain, leading their teams in front of their schools.

Nothing else matters today but playing his best to honor volleyball and make the love of his life proud.

When Kuroo scores a quick right off the bat, Bokuto is so stoked. He can't lose out though, not to someone who isn't going pro. Yakkun is as thrilling as ever too - the libero normally a pain for spikers but to Bokuto the challenge of facing and beating tough opponents is a high he can't get enough of.

_It's on!_

Back and forth they go, Kuroo doing what he does best, Bokuto doing what he does best. He knows there'll be mind games, that Nekoma excels at breaking down opponents slowly, insidiously (but with grace and honor, not like those Nohebi assholes). No, Nekoma creeps up on you quietly as a cat in a dark alley, and before you know it you're ensnared in their claws.

Well, he'd been ensnared by Kuroo a long time ago.

He can't help taunting Kuroo across the net as usual - this is their world, their space. It's normal for them to do so anyway, always pushing each other to be more, to be better. And that's part of the reason why he loves Kuroo so much - the dark haired middle blocker inspires him to do better just by breathing, makes him want to become a better person every day so he can prove he's worthy of God's gift to the world.

Of COURSE Kuroo and his childhood friend switch positions at the last minute, Kuroo rising up to meet him at the net like a cat demon from the depths - all grace, power, confidence, and smirky strength. It sends a shiver up his spine (and down to his groin), especially when his boyfriend says he'll be taking the spotlight from time to time.

He loves it when Kuroo gets all cocky. Makes him want to make a mess of the other boy.

They're in their zone now, this is the world they live in - hardwood floor and the squeak of shoes and the sound of palm slamming into ball, ball slamming into arms and ground.

Still doesn't mean he has to be silent when his beloved's team make him miss for the first time today. The ref overrules but it's OK, the point is to show his team he's still their captain, still their ace, and he calls out that it's on him.

When Kuroo does his jump serve for the first time, Bokuto wants to run over and jump _him_. Seeing how much the Nekoma captain has improved, seeing the dedication to a sport Kuroo has decided not to go pro in but does his best in simply for love of the game, it sends a thrill through Bokuto, short circuiting his mind until all he can see is ball. The volleyball, that is.

When it's his turn to serve, Bokuto makes sure to hit the ball extra hard to show his boyfriend how it's done. But of course, Nekoma being Nekoma, they get the ball up easily and calmly.

He can't help taunting Lev across the net - it's fun, he's familiar enough with the beanpole Nekoma player from training camps and from listening to Kuroo laugh about how much the half-Russian drives Kenma and Yakkun crazy. And when Konoha rebounds off Kuroo, he wants to cackle at how pissed off his boyfriend looks (though at the same time he has to admit it makes the taller boy look insanely hot).

And then eventually Kuroo shuts him down, because he's too focused on Yakkun and all the insane Nekoma receivers waiting around the court. He'd been waiting for this - Kuroo is known for shutting down the best spikers in the country, known for his innate game sense, perfect timing, ability to read others fast and react faster. It helps that in volleyball, Kuroo leaves the team strategy to Kenma, so all Kuroo needs to do is focus entirely on himself and his own plays.

It's beautiful even if being stuffed pisses him off so fucking badly.

What is Akaashi talking about? Does Bokuto know how to spike crosses?

Sometimes Akaashi seriously is one of the best things to ever happen to Bokuto since Kuroo and volleyball (or is it volleyball and Kuroo?).

He nails his cross - even Yakkun can't stop it - and the feeling of sweet, sublime exhilaration floods him. Distantly he can hear his boyfriend yelling at his team to turn up the intensity, and that gets him even more fired up.

Kuroo knows him better than anyone, can read the game better than a lot of people. If Kuroo Tetsurou shouts out a warning like that to his team, that means Bokuto Koutarou just became a very Clear and Present Danger.

He can't wait till teams all over the world view him that way.

Kuroo doesn't stop - blocking, spiking, doing everything he can to let Fukurōdani know that Nekoma isn't here to lose. It's inspiring and beautiful, seeing how high Kuroo jumps to lower the net for his own team, how determined the cat-like captain is to win so he can fulfil his mentor's dream of battling the crows.

Bokuto wants Kuroo's dreams to come true. But he also knows that his beloved would never forgive him for sacrificing his own dreams, for going easy on him. He hits an insane cut shot, and even though Kuroo looks pissed off - because even _he_ can't stop that - Bokuto knows he's also going to have lots of praise heaped on him later for it.

Fukurōdani wins, of course. Nekoma are a great team, but the Owls are better - well-oiled, more experienced, with a lot of powerful all-rounders, a genius setter to match Nekoma's, and one of the best aces in the country. Nekoma are just kittens compared to them - and Bokuto sometimes wonders what will happen once the third years are gone - but he supposes they'll land on their feet somehow.

Kuroo looks pissed off as Bokuto gloats from the other side of the net while they shake hands, and he loves it. He'll get lots tonight, that's for sure.

_Go get 'em, babe._

There's still one ticket left. And it belongs to Nekoma.

##

Kuroo's birthday is probably the most important day of the year for Bokuto. It's the day the love of his life was born, years ago. It's the day the most incredible human being he's ever known came into this world.

He's been agonizing over a gift for his boyfriend for ages, just as he always does every year. From the moment he hands over Kuroo's birthday gift each year, he starts to research what to get him for the next one.

Rings would be too much, right now. When they're still high schoolers, when the future is still so full of uncertainty and Bokuto hasn't made it as his own man yet, still a kid relying on his family and his teammates.

He does so want to pop the question and have Kuroo as his for the rest of his life though.

Except he doesn't need to actually pop the question, he realizes. On the eve of Kuroo's birthday he stays over and they have cake at midnight, then Kenma heads home. The next day, Kenma's waiting at the gates to let Bokuto into Nekoma sneakily - the setter could always be counted on to figure out the best route to avoid attention.

Then Kuroo is leaping onto him, wrapping those obscenely long legs around his waist, and kissing him in a glittering sunset that's just the two of them and the crisp fall air.

Kuroo is his for the rest of his life, he knows.

That night, he takes his time to worship his boyfriend, to show how much the dark haired blocker means to him. He supposes it works because Kuroo goes absolutely incoherent and can only make odd little sounds and moans and whimpers. And when he asks if the taller boy had a good birthday, the answer is an overwhelming yes.

Later, Kenma tells him that Kuroo keeps the stuffed toys - a white owl and a black cat intertwined - on his bed side table usually but they somehow always end up in the Nekoma captain's arms when he has to sleep alone (Kenma knows this because one day Kuroo fell asleep while studying and Bokuto was just finishing up his personal training, so he'd sent Kenma over to check and somehow the plushies were clutched tight against Kuroo's chest - that picture is one of Bokuto's favorites in the entire world).

##

For Christmas, they have the usual - KFC and non-alcoholic bubbly (though of course Bokuto's sisters slip them some actual champagne). There's video calls, of course, with their friends around the country, but no more mistletoe because apparently Kenma and Akaashi had been traumatized enough by Bokuto's and Kuroo's affinity for kissing each other for _ages_.

They laugh when Oikawa appears in a skimpy Santa outfit, and then they laugh even more when Iwaizumi eventually ends the call because they've all been betting on how quickly the Seijoh ace would jump his boyfriend.

There's the usual promises to Karasuno, to make the battle happen. There's taunting and cheering from other teams and friends, and everyone's just happy but also on edge - they know it's the precipice, it's almost the end for many of them. They know that the future looms, uncertain and vast.

But that night as he holds Kuroo tight while the other boy sleeps soundly, exhausted after several rounds, Bokuto also knows that one thing is certain: they're two independent individuals, wrapped around each other. And that will never change.

##

Bokuto can't really believe it when Nekoma loses to Karasuno. Yes, the crows are amazing, but it feels like Kuroo was cheated somehow. By a sweaty ball.

_A sweaty ball._

Usually they'd be joking about it, if it'd happened to another team. But not to Nekoma, not to Kuroo.

While the white haired spiker knew that Kuroo cared less about victory than fulfilling his mentor's wish to have the infamous battle take place, he also knew that his boyfriend had worked insanely hard to get them all here: Nekoma and Karasuno alike. To have victory snatched away just because the ball had been covered in sweat...

And yet Kuroo didn't cry. He looked satisfied just knowing that they'd done it - they'd had the infamous Garbage Dump fight, they'd all managed to get to Nationals, Coach Nekomata had shaken hands with his rival's grandson. Kuroo congratulated Karasuno's players earnestly, chasing after his protegé to clap him on the back then shake hands smiling, so happy that Tsukki had reignited his love for volleyball, so pure in his good wishes for others.

(Later on, Kenma will tell him that Kuroo cried like a baby in the bathroom because Coach Nekomata had thanked the captain for making his dream come true, and Bokuto will fall in love with Kuroo all over again because his boyfriend cared more about someone else's dream than his own, worked so hard to fulfil one old man's wish).

Kuroo would always be a better person than Bokuto, someone destined for a greatness that couldn't be contained by a volleyball court.

Bokuto had to do his best - he was up against Kiryu next - and he'd have to prove that he deserved to stand next to Kuroo Tetsurou, and hold his hand.

##

He hadn't expected Kuroo to find out he'd been looking at Division 2 teams, and he _definitely_ hadn't expected his boyfriend to even consider refusing Tōdai - _he was the third best scorer in the COUNTRY for God's sake!_ \- just to move to Osaka.

Bokuto doesn't know what to do. He's mad, he's disappointed, he's hurt, he's upset, he's furious.

Why hadn't Kuroo told him any of this?

He obviously wouldn't have told the dark haired boy his thoughts - Kuroo would be mad, and his screaming right now proved it. But Kuroo is the better person, the one who deserves more, so what's so wrong about Bokuto trying to keep them together somehow because he knows he's afraid of losing him since he's still not worthy of the great man he's dating?

_Don't you ever fucking say that about yourself again, Kou!_

There's a fire in Kuroo's eyes, a defiant, burning flame that dares him to even _think_ poorly of himself. And suddenly they have a "synchro moment".

They love each other so much they were each willing to give up on their own dreams for the other. How could anything - time, distance, _anything_ \- ever get in their way?

They'll make it work somehow. Being in love, being together, it was the most natural thing in the world.

Being in love with Kuroo Tetsurou, being loved by Kuroo Tetsurou, was as natural as breathing.

##

Kou knew Tetsu would make it onto the volleyball team. He laughs like a maniac with everyone else when Iwaizumi mentions his boyfriend's 'bad boy' reputation, because just before the group video call the bedhead had sent him a really stupid pun about owls and cats.

He's proud of the former Nekoma captain for topping his class in every subject easily, but he still feels a bit like a bum when he sees how tired Tetsu looks on Monday mornings after whirlwind weekend trips to visit him in Osaka. But Tetsu had insisted that as Kou was officially a working man now, whose reputation mattered a lot more than a university student's, that the buff spiker should focus on his work and training, and leave the traveling to the freshman.

Still doesn't help Kou feel any better for adding more to Tetsu's plate. While the hazel eyed beauty was a genius who could juggle classes and trainings easily, Kou worried for his health sometimes.

He doesn't stop worrying when Tetsu, Iwaizumi, Keiji, and Kenma move into a house off campus together, but he knows that everyone is responsible and will keep an eye out for his boyfriend who tends to overwork himself with his studies, volleyball, investments, and what-not.

Kou has become friends with the owner of the barbecue store in Tokyo near where his boyfriend lives now, on account of always purchasing multiple vouchers for Iwaizumi since the students' first year. He has to admit that the food is great, when he makes it to Tokyo while on break.

They're all cheering Shouyo on when they hear Chibi has gone to Brazil, and it just spurs Kou to work even harder because he has to make sure everyone knows who the best volleyball player in Japan is.

When Tetsu informs him that he's been accepted to the JVA upon graduation, Kou runs out of his Osaka apartment intent on going to Tokyo and giving his boyfriend a hug. But of course he's talked out of it, and ends up running like a madman through cold streets because he needs to do _something_.

He makes it to Tetsu's graduation, beaming ear to ear at the incredible man he's been dating since forever, and they hug so tight they could break bones. There's celebrations after, with everyone in Tokyo and via video call with everyone who isn't, because Tetsu and Hajime have both gotten what they wanted, and everyone is just so indescribably happy about it.

Tetsu always works too hard.

Sometimes, when the dark haired man stumbles into Kou's apartment in the wee hours of the morning, dark circles under his eyes and that exhausted droop in his shoulders, Kou wishes he could do more, that he could somehow provide for the other so that Tetsu would never have to work again.

But he knows that's not what Tetsu wants. Tetsu is unstoppable, indomitable, when he has a goal - before this it was the Battle of the Garbage Dump, now it's lowering the net across the country and the world (and besides, Tetsu has made so much money of his own that he technically never needs to work).

It's one of those times, when his dark haired boyfriend is dead to the world, that Kou measures his ring finger carefully.

He loves how Tetsu refuses to get into bed without showering and drying his hair, because Kou is a professional athlete and Tetsu just got off a train filled with random people so he doesn't want to bring any germs near the buff spiker.

He loves that funny little face Tetsu makes when Kou announces his height one day after measurements are taken for a new brochure, and it turns out that he's now just a little bit taller than his lean boyfriend and it feels like middle school all over again except now they're adults.

He loves how Tetsu always finds a way to arrange his schedule so that they get to see a lot more of each other than when the JVA employee was a student - though he hates when it involves Tetsu going without any sleep just to make it work. He hates that he's the one who's so inflexible, because theirs is a team sport and as professional athletes they have fixed schedules and calendars to adhere to, whereas Tetsu being the high achiever he is basically calls the shots on his own career and the JVA is always more than happy to let him do as he pleases since he always over delivers.

He loves how Tetsu sounds when he's on the phone with his subordinates, all calm, smooth, authoritative, and confident - like when he was captain of Nekoma and Tōdai but this time there's a maturity and depth that was only ever hinted at before. He barely recalls who it was who whistled and said that his boyfriend is just _like a boss_ , but he knows he's insanely proud of this beautiful, talented, brilliant man who'd somehow chosen him.

He loves that little smile Tetsu gives him when they link pinky fingers while walking the streets wherever they are, whatever the time or the season. He loves how his boyfriend always brings him something - a snack, a souvenir, a random toy - from his travels just because Tetsu is always thinking of him. He loves how they can still laugh about anything and everything, how they still drive Keiji mad with their antics, how Kenma just runs away from them when they get that mad glint in their eyes.

He loves how, sometimes when he barely ~~waddles~~ stumbles back into his apartment, and it turns out Tetsu is there for the night but is working on some spreadsheet or other in Kou's living room while the athlete's favorite meals simmer on the stove and infuse the loft with the scent of love. (And he loves how Tetsu's magic fingers feel on his sore, aching muscles, so much so that sometimes they forget about dinner and go straight to dessert).

He loves how Tetsu looks at him when they laze in bed sometimes, soft sunlight peeking in through the blinds, and they breathe in each other's air and the whole world seems so perfect and warm and wonderful and peaceful because it's just them right then, together, wrapped around each other.

He loves how Tetsu screams his name when he's taking him hard, when he's pleasuring him, when Kou is doing everything he can to hold on until his beloved reaches climax for the umpteenth time (it helps to be a professional athlete sometimes).

But mostly he just loves Tetsu, and everything about Tetsu. It's as natural as breathing.

##

_Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times YES._

He'd never pegged Tetsu for the rom-com type, but he supposes he's feeling pretty sappy too.

And when everyone is cheering and congratulating and crying, he just feels like a whole 87kg of muscly love.

He laughs when Hajime and Oikawa start the betting pool, but he knows better than to place any bets because he might end up sleeping on the couch a _lot_. He beams when Kenma insists on paying for everything, and laughs when the Bokuto and Kuroo families overrule the small genius (and later he spends a lot of time and money appeasing his family for not inviting them to the 'big moment').

He teases Keiji when it looks like his former Vice Captain is about to tear up, and the manga editor shuts that shit down immediately but Kou swears he can still see some glistening.

He accepts all the hugs, all the back ~~slams~~ pats, and he thinks Yachi's weird scribbles somehow still look amazing even if they're tear-stained and wonky.

Then he looks at his fiancé, still sniffling after what Tsum-Tsum said, and he just falls in love all over again.

It's as natural as breathing.

##

Their honeymoon is just a lot of sex and cuddles and kisses and love, and Kou is ready to die a happy man. (But the FIVB World Cup is looming, and he'll be playing in front of a home crowd, so he can't die yet).

They have a private villa over crystal clear waters, and room service comes discreetly by boat to deliver champagne and meals and change the sheets if Kou and Tetsu happen to be in the calm lagoon playing.

Sometimes, while Tetsu sleeps held in his arms, and the stars twinkle outside floor to ceiling windows, Kou wonders what it'd be like from now on. Usually once people get married they have children, but they're both men, and science hasn't advanced that far.

Would they just be like this, then, for the rest of their lives? Just the two of them and soft exhales and warm sheets under a peaceful moon?

Yes, it's never going to be just the two of them. They have a large family by blood and bond ( _and balls_ , Tetsu likes to say with a wicked grin sometimes). But at the end of the day, when night falls, it's always just the two of them, wrapped around each other.

Then he looks at his slumbering husband, at that contented expression on a handsome, sleeping face, and he thinks that _this_ is just perfect, after all.

##

Who knew Hajime was such a demon?

The Olympic team is panting, aching, lacking the breath to even curse the former Seijoh ace. Kou wishes Tetsu was here, but then he also knows he gets insanely distracted by his gorgeous, sexy husband and that's not good for someone who's preparing to represent his country on a world stage.

So he's always the first to rise, to move towards the next exercise, to try again. He doesn't complain, he doesn't feel dejected when he can't clean the insane weights the first time or the tenth time. He just keeps trying.

He has to keep his promise, and show that he's the best volleyball player in Japan. Tetsu had agreed to marry him, _had_ married him, when he was just an athlete famous on the local scene. Now he needs to show the world that his beloved had made the right choice, all those years ago, by being his friend, his best friend, his boyfriend.

##

When COVID becomes an epidemic and the Games are postponed, Kou is frustrated and upset. Why?! They were SO CLOSE, they'd worked SO HARD.

Then he's ashamed, because while all he's obsessed about is how much work he's put in, how much he wants to win a gold medal, people are dying, losing their jobs, being separated from their loved ones, being evicted, going hungry.

Tetsu, being Tetsu, already mobilized. He's on the phone all the time, calling every volleyball player he's ever known, laying out his plans to disseminate funds to people in need who don't want to risk shame by revealing the truth about their predicament, because theirs is still very much a society that puts weight on appearances.

It's why the pictures from their wedding are only shared in a private album among attendees after all.

Kou tells him he'll give everything he's ever made to the initiative, and Tetsu is tired from calling and planning but the dark haired beauty still kisses him like Kou is oxygen and Tetsu is suffocating. His husband won't accept that much from him though, and later Kou feels a bit put out when Kenma tells him that Tetsu had sold a _lot_ of cryptocurrency to contribute.

Then he's not put out anymore because his husband is being awarded the Order of the Rising Sun for service to the nation.

When the DM's start, so many people trying to flirt with Tetsu, Kou just laughs until he swears he's gotten another set of six packs. Because he knows that he's the only one Tetsu wants, the only one Tetsu has eyes for, and it's funny as hell to see how mortified Tetsu - the cocky, sexy, smirky master of provocation - is by some of the thirstier messages. (Kou screenshots some of them and shares them with their friends, so everyone has something to laugh about during lockdowns. Tetsu acts like he's mad about it but Kou isn't relegated to the couch so he knows it's fine).

##

"Hey, you must be Bokuto Koutarou, the best volleyball player in Japan."

When he shakes that warm hand, looks at that proud gaze, it feels like full circle but it isn't. It's been a long time coming, 13 years in the making. But the commentators, the media, the fans, all over the world, they're calling him the greatest volleyball player alive.

He'd done it, he'd kept his word, and then some.

Tetsu looks like he's bursting at the seams, like he's so much radiance and love that he can't contain himself. And alright who even cares anymore - they don't know who moves first but suddenly they're in each other's arms and they're kissing like their lives depend on it.

(Keiji will later tell him that the entire Japan Olympic Volleyball team caused such a ruckus that no one noticed Kou and Tetsu making out, blocked as they are by the giants on the team. He buys them all coffee for a month after that, because even Ushiwaka destroyed his pristine image just for them).

Then the call comes in. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball wants Tetsu to lead the Development Commission. They've seen what he did in Japan, as a fresh graduate, turning a country of soccer, baseball, golf, and tennis fans into one nation united behind and obsessed with volleyball. They want him to do the same for the world.

Kou always knew this day would come, when his husband outgrew their island nation. He also knew that he had a lot of offers from teams around the world, but he'd actually already had a chat with some of the others, and he tells Tetsu they've decided to stay on in Japan to continue his work.

_Fly, baby._

And Tetsu does. For a cat, he flies magnificently. He's jet setting around the globe, launching programs from South Africa to Norway, Fiji to Mexico. He calls as often as he can, but mostly Kou reads about him in the news and on social media, the Japanese population having taken up Tetsu as their ambassador to the world.

For his part Kou is developing new moves constantly, obliterating opponents who keep trying but who can't quite match his strength and determination. Playing the Jackals becomes a badge of honor for teams around the globe, because anyone who can go up against Bokuto Koutarou and help their team not lose games by more than a 10 point margin is considered a shoo-in for their own national squad.

So Kou jet sets too, but he's not worried. Tetsu being the charming, over-achieving devil he is, has the FIVB wrapped around his fingers and sets his own schedule, which means that they end up seeing each other a lot eventually because Tetsu always happens to be wherever the Jackals are (and yes, he ropes them into his promotional work but Kou has become a household name worldwide so it's just good business).

Tetsu even launches an insane video game together with KodzuKen, and somehow it becomes the best selling game of the year (with everyone trying to unlock the secret Nekoma level), and then everyone knows volleyball terms and Bokuto Koutarou, and Kou cries every time someone asks him to sign a copy of the game because he knows it's a labor of love from Kuroo Tetsurou, and a love letter from his husband.

##

When attitudes warm towards LGBTQIA+ individuals and families, Kou and Tetsu announce their adoption of a child.

Kou had wanted to do it much earlier, this public declaration of their union and love, instead of hiding behind their friends’ courageous announcements, but for all his bravado Tetsu was still easily insecure and hurt, always worrying about the impact of his actions on people he cared about.

So when Japan announces legalization of same sex marriages, when the entire country takes to the streets declaring “Love is Love”, he and Tetsu waste no time finding a child to adopt, because Tetsu wants to save the world one person at a time.

Kou loves that man more than he could ever love anyone or anything.

They find a child. A tiny one year old from a broken home - Kou pays the case officers on the side so they don’t tell Tetsu the full story of what the child has been through because his beloved would cry every day in private if he knew. They name the boy Ryo, and he has the same bright golden eyes as Kou, the same dark messy hair as Tetsu, so the public starts to wonder if Ryo was an IVF child.

Tetsu adores their son, taking him along to meetings and teaching him everything he knows about life and volleyball, holding him close and smiling that soft smile that makes everyone melt every time he looks at his baby. Ryo loves Tetsu so much he imitates the way the tall man sleeps, so much so that their hairstyles become carbon copies soon enough. (Ryo also only wants to eat whatever Tetsu eats, which means Tetsu ends up eating a lot of child-friendly food whenever their son is watching before sneaking off to have his favorites).

Kou manages to take Ryo to some trainings with the help of his teammates, as his friends distract Tetsu with whines of being ignored. Because Tetsu hates ignoring anyone, hates anyone feeling left out, so he obliges with a grateful smile and huge kiss for Kou that Ryo stares at but smartly asks no questions about (to Kou, at least). Kou buys his son whatever he wants each time they have a bonding session, because they both know somehow that Tetsu needs a break from trying to save the world and be everyone’s hero. (Kou gets scolded a lot by Tetsu for spoiling Ryo, but Kou also gets lots of kisses and amazing sex after, so he figures Tetsu doesn't actually want him to stop).

They end up adopting another five children - _the BoKuroo volleyball team_ , Tetsu sometimes grins - and they stop when they realize they can’t take in anymore without dropping the ball ( _hah!_ ) and missing things like Sports Days and parent-teacher meetings (yes, their friends and family stand in and sub for them when needed, but Kou and Tetsu want to be involved parents). They can afford more kids, no doubt, because Tetsu is independently wealthy (and will inherit a _shit ton_ of money) and makes Kou feel like a bum sometimes, but then his husband does what he always does and Kou falls in love with him all over again.

Tetsu takes everything he’s ever earned since he was thirteen and dabbling in stocks for fun, minus what he puts aside for Kou and the children - _keeping nothing for himself_ \- and sets up a foundation for orphans, sends them all the way through to graduation from Nekoma and provides them with everything they need to succeed in anything they choose (though of course Tetsu tends to emphasize that volleyball is the greatest sport in the world).

Kou wonders sometimes why no one else in the world makes as big a deal of his husband with the heart of gold. He knows why, of course. Tetsu hates the limelight, prefers to hide in the crowd and work from the shadows. But he’s so damn proud of the man he married, the most beautiful boy he’s ever laid eyes on even as a teen in training camp among strangers, and he wishes he could tell the world.

He does, of course, running through the streets shouting proudly, and at every interview and press conference, in every conversation with fans thronging the streets, and with random people in grocery stores. And each time when he video calls or sees Tetsu after the other has the sweetest blush on his face and Kou wishes he could keep doing this life over and over so he could keep seeing that look on Tetsu’s face.

Obviously all their friends and family and fans pump so much money into the BoKuroo foundation that it soon becomes one of the most powerful in Japan, if not the world.

It was as natural as breathing.

##

A/N 1: The FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup was held in Japan from 1-15 October 2019. Olympics was scheduled for summer 2020, then postponed to 2021.


End file.
